My Hero, the Girl
by Krazi
Summary: Joey's dad starts drinking again, and Kea (OC) must save Joey from unexpected domestic abuse. Now with a detective's help, Kea and Joey's friends go undercover to bust Mr. Wheeler!! Joey/OC.
1. How could he do this

Hi everybody! Welcome to my first Joey fic: My Hero, the Girl. Here are some important things for you guys to know: This isn't AU, but let's pretend that Joey and his dad rent out a house for the summer. Not a summer house, but an actual house. It's in their own neighborhood, next to Joey's lifelong best friend Kea. Pretend they met somewhere. Yes. Well, R&R please. Arigatou!  
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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or anything that has to do with Yu-Gi-Oh!. Well, I own Kea. She's me. ^_^ Only ... not my name ... yeah ... whatever. *ahem*  
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"Hi Joey!" I said excitedly as I saw Joey hop out of his dad's red pickup truck. I hadn't seen him since last year when he came out to visit his dad, so I was psyched about seeing him again and spending the rest of the summer with him.  
  
"Heya Kiki!" Joey said, making use of the nickname he had given me last summer. "How are ya?" He walked over to me and hugged me tightly.  
  
I ignored his question, and instead said, "Awww I missed ya, Joey!"  
  
"Missed you, too, kid," Joey said, leaning his head on my shoulder. He seemed to hold onto me a bit longer than usual, and with a lot more feeling; I could sense that something was wrong with him. I've known him all my life and I can tell with something's wrong. I decided to ask him about it later.  
  
When Joey backed away from me, I saw his dad behind him. "Hi Mr. Wheeler," I said, waving to him.  
  
"Hello Kea," he said, waving slightly. "How have you been lately?"  
  
"Good good," I said, nodding. I noted that he looked and sounded very sober. That was good, considering that he was an alcoholic. Maybe he had stopped drinking. That would be something Joey would have neglacted to tell me in his letters; he didn't like to talk about his father at all.  
  
I looked back at Joey and asked, "You need help taking your stuff in? I can help carry your bags and whatever."  
  
"Nah, I got it," Joey said. He walked back over to the pickup and began taking his stuff out. Ignoring what he told me, I walked behind him and grabbed a couple bags. He stopped and looked at me, then smirked.  
  
"What!" I said, returning his smirk.  
  
"Just come on," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the house he and his dad rent out for the summer. "You remember where my room is, right? I'm dropping my stuff in there."  
  
I nodded. "Sure," I said. We walked in the house, talking about things that happened over the past year as we did. We told each other about things we'd missed, and elaborated on what we had said in the letters we had written since he left.  
  
"All that really happened in one weekend?" I asked, referring to Duelist Kingdom.  
  
"Sure did," Joey said as he took the bags from my hands and put them on the floor.  
  
"Wow," was all I could say. I watched Joey sigh and run his hand through his dirty blond locks. I looked him over; he had grown a lot since last year. He was taller than me this year, by at least an inch, and his shoulders had broadened. I could tell through the thin white t-shirt he had on that he had been working out some, and I silently wondered if he had stopped eating so much. Then I stopped and thought about it.  
  
Joey? Stop eating a lot? Psh! That's funny.  
  
That's when I realized that Joey had been looking me over, too. I sighed and said, "I guess we've both changed since last year, huh?"  
  
"Yeah!" Joey exclaimed. "I gotta find something new to tease you about now."  
  
"Huh?" I asked in confused.  
  
"Don't ya remember?" Joey asked. "Me and dad used to make fun of you last year 'cause you were flat-chested!"  
  
I doubled over laughing. "Oh yeah!" I said. "Jeez, thank goodness I grew out of that! And I can't make fun of you for being scrawny anymore."  
  
Joey stood up straight and proudly said, "Yeah. I been workin' on that."  
  
"I can tell," I smiled. I moved to sit on Joey's bed, then said, "Hey Joey? Can I ask ya something?"  
  
"Go ahead," Joey said, sitting down next to me.  
  
I sighed, then said, "I'm gonna be blunt about it, okay? ... I know that there's something wrong with you."  
  
Joey blinked in confusion. "What?"  
  
"Joey, don't hide it from me," I said, repositioning myself so that I could face him. "I could tell when you first hugged me outside. Something's buggin' you. I wanna know what it is. You can tell me, Joey, we've always told each other everything."  
  
Joey studied my face for a moment, then said, "Okay. Y'know I told ya in my letters that my dad stopped hittin' me after we came back last summer. But he's been going back to the bar lately and gettin' drunk and ..."  
  
"Ohh Joey, he's not hitting you again?" I said questioningly. When Joey nodded, I moved over to him and put my arm around his shoulder. "Look, as long as you're here, I'll make sure he dosen't hit you, okay?"  
  
"You can't do that," Joey said, shaking his head.  
  
I looked down. He was right. "Well," I said, "if he ever starts to hit you, or if he comes home drunk, just run next door to my place, okay? I promise I'll always be there for you."  
  
Joey leaned his forehead against mine. He looked deep into my eyes and caressed my cheek softly. I could tell that this was a very touchy subject for him and that he was grateful I was willing to help him.  
  
"Thanks, Kea," he said, his tone quieter than usual.  
  
I smiled warmly, then closed my eyes and leaned foward, kissing Joey lightly on the lips. It meant nothing more than 'you're welcome', and we both knew it. When I back away from him, he looked at me and smiled.  
  
"Sometimes I don't know how I get alone nine months of the year without ya," Joey said as he stood up and stretched.  
  
I laughed. "Likewise to you, Wheeler," I said, standing up and messing with his hair. "Come on, let's head over to my place, my mom's dying to see you again."  
  
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Joey and I were at my house all afternoon. His dad was well aware of where he was, and he said it was okay if he stayed there. Yes, Mr. Wheeler was definitely sober. I just hoped he would stay that way for the rest of the summer. And every day after that, for Joey's sake.  
  
"I'll come over tomorrow, okay?" I said to Joey as he walked out my front door.  
  
Joey turned around and called back, "Yeah! But not 'till noon, 'cause I sleep late."  
  
Laughing, I said, "I'll call before I come over to make sure you're awake. See ya, Joey!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
I closed the front door and walked back into the house, where I threw myself down on the couch next to my mom. "Have fun today?" she asked me.  
  
"Yep," I said, leaning on her shoulder.   
  
I had a great relationship with my mom. We were best friends. I told her everything and she told me everything. I could talk to my mom longer than I could talk to Joey. Surprising, but true. I stayed up having girl talk with her until ten o'clock, when Mom suddenly said,  
  
"Kea, is that your jacket?"  
  
I looked where she was pointing and saw that the thin green jacket wasn't mine. I rolled my eyes. "Joey's," I said. "I don't know how he left it here, I swore he wore it out." I went over to it and threw it over my shoulders, surprised that it was even anywhere near fitting me.  
  
"Are you going to go run it over to him?" Mom asked.  
  
"Yeah," I said. "I'll lock the door behind me, but don't worry about getting back up to open it for me, I'm taking my keys." I grabbed my keychain from one of the hooks next to the door, slipping them into Joey's jacket pocket.  
  
I jogged out of the house and jumped the gate to Joey's place, walking over the grass to the front door. I knocked on the door a couple times, wondering why I didn't hear the TV on or Joey's music blasting.  
  
I waited a second, then rang the bell. Still nothing. Since I've know Joey for so long, I simply twisted the doorknob and walked in. The livingroom was empty. I could see through into the diningroom and the kitchen. They were also empty. Where the heck were Joey and his dad?  
  
Then I heard it. It pierced my ears like a bad dream, and I knew the second I heard it that it was Joey and he was in trouble.  
  
"No! Dad stop, it hurts! Please, stop!"  
  
Without a second thought, I rushed up the staircase. The only thought in my mind at that point was Joey. I reached the top of the stairs and immediately knew the sound was coming from Joey's room. I ran to the door and threw it open.  
  
I stopped dead in my tracks. My jaw dropped to the floor and my eyes were immediately flooded with tears. My breath caught in my throat and my whole body tensed. How could he do this ...  
  
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ACK! CLIFFHANGER! I'm mad at myself for stopping there. I'm sure you're mad at me, too. Please R&R, this is my first Joey fic! Lemme know if ya like it! 


	2. Making an escape

Well, everybody. I got a review from someone who offered me a gumball if I updated. So here I am updating. (I expect my gumball, Koriku!) This story isn't prewritten AT ALL, so it'll take some labor for me to update. After this week when I get off of Spring Break, updates will be on weekdays, because I work ALL DAY on Saturday and Sunday. But it's okay. All right, I'm rambling and you're waiting for a story, so here ya go!  
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IMPORTANT WARNING!!: I have to warn you guys right now in case you don't want to read past this chapter. I can't tell you what happens because it'll give the story away, but no matter what, this is NOT, I repeat, NOT yaoi, and it will NOT, I repeat, NOT get graphic. If this bothers you, I'm sorry. It sort of bothers me, too, but it's for the sake of the story. My apologies.  
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Disclaimer: Y'know, I just realized. Nobody's gonna read this, or what I wrote above, because they're trying to find out what happens to Joey. But I don't own YGO, anyways.  
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My jaw dropped to the floor and for a moment, I was frozen. This wasn't possible. I had to be seeing things. How could he do this ...  
  
Joey was tied to the bed, eagle spread. His wrists and ankles were bound to the bedposts with thick ropes that weren't knotted well. He was face down, his head buried in his pillow, and his dad was behind him. Raping him.  
  
Tears fell from my eyes and I felt my body begin to shake. They didn't see me. Neither one of them. Finally, Joey raised his head and saw me standing at the door.  
  
"Kea, what the hell! Leave!" he yelled at me.  
  
That's when Mr. Wheeler looked up. I could tell just by looking in his eyes that we was drunk beyond reason and that he probably wouldn't remember any of this tomorrow.  
  
A rush of sense came over me and I grabbed the lamp that was on Joey's dresser. In a couple steps and a quick swing of the lamp, Mr. Wheeler fell over off of the bed, leaving Joey free for me to untie him.  
  
"Bitch!" Mr. Wheeler yelled at me as he rolled around on Joey's bedroom floor, holding the side of his head.  
  
I ignored the yelling and proceeded to untie Joey's wrists from the bed. I did this frantically, scared that Mr. Wheeler was going to get up and hit me or something. I just barely got the ropes off on his one wrist. As soon as I did, Joey moved to pull up his pants, which were hanging at his knees. I untied the other wrist when Mr. Wheeler got up off the floor, pulling up his pants.  
  
"You stupid slut," he said to me, his words slurred because of the alcohol. "This is my business!"  
  
"I don't care!" I screamed at him, my tears blurring my vision. I wiped my eyes and turned to untie Joey's ankles.  
  
"Off of him!" Mr. Wheeler yelled. He grabbed me by my shoulder and turned me around so that I was facing him. I braced myself for the hit I was going to receive, but it never came. Mr. Wheeler was too drunk to even hit the right spot. He swung and missed my head by a mile. I jumped at the opportunity and pushed him with all the strength I had, sending him stumbling back and tripping over himself. I turned back around to help Joey.  
  
I had never seen Joey like this before. He was crying so hard that I would have thought he was a baby if I didn't know better. I shook the thought out of my head and continued untying Joey's ankles, glancing back at Mr. Wheeler every couple seconds.  
  
I got Joey untied and helped him off of the bed. The first thing he did was grab onto me to hold his balance. He couldn't walk and I knew it; his legs were like jello underneath him. I held him tight, making sure he didn't fall, as I quickly went out of Joey's room.  
  
"Come back here, bitch!" I heard Mr. Wheeler yelling.  
  
"Never!" I yelled through my tears. I hurried down the steps, nearly dragging Joey with me. He was very disoriented.  
  
Next to me, Joey was crying enough to overflow the Nile River. "Joey it's okay, it's okay," I was saying as I opened his front door.  
  
"No, no!" Joey yelled. "He never did that before! He hit me all the time but he never did that before!"  
  
"I know, Joey, I know," I said, trying to hurry once I heard Mr. Wheeler's voice behind us.  
  
*What are we gonna do,* I thought as we stepped onto Joey's front lawn. *I can't take him to my house, Mr. Wheeler'll just come get him.*  
  
Then it hit me. I remembered telling my mom that I was going to take my keys with me when I dropped off Joey's jacket. Perfect.  
  
"God, Kea, he's gonna kill me," Joey wailed, leaning most of his body weight on me.  
  
"No he's not, nobody's gonna hurt you," I said absentmindedly. It was then that I spotted my mom's black minivan. I knew immediately what I was going to do. I began dragging Joey to the van. I took the keys out of my pocket and pressed the button to unlock the doors.  
  
"Give me my damn son back you bitch!" I heard Mr. Wheeler scream.  
  
I cursed under my breath, opening the passenger side of the van. I began to help Joey in when he grabbed onto my jacket and yelled, "No, no, don't leave me!"  
  
Figuring it was better not to argue, I got in first and helped Joey follow me. I scooted into the driver's seat and laid Joey's head in my lap, stroking his hair with one hand as I started up the van with my other.  
  
Joey was shaking violently, and still mumbling about how his dad had never done that before. He was nearly laying on me, his legs still limp and lifeless. I looked down at him with soft eyes as the van revved up.  
  
I pulled the minivan quickly off of the street and did a dangerous U-turn so that I could face the highway. Just when I turned the van around, I saw Mr. Wheeler staggering into the middle of the street.  
  
"You have no right to take my son!" he was screaming, waving an angry fist at me. "Give me my son back!"  
  
When I saw him screaming like that, an image flashed before my eyes of what I saw the second I walked into Joey's room. It infuriated me, and I felt angry tears slide down my cheeks and drop onto my hands, which gripped the steering wheel tightly. I knew what I had to do.  
  
This minivan could go from zero to sixty in five seconds. Five seconds was all I needed. Mr. Wheeler would be too drunk to get out of the way. Five seconds.  
  
I slammed my foot down on the gas and stared at Mr. Wheeler intently as the minivan got closer and closer to running him over. The spedometer read thirty ... forty ... fifty ...  
  
I got closer and closer to Mr. Wheeler until finally—  
  
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GRRRRRRR!! Do you hate cliffhangers, too?? Jeez, what happened?! Did she hit Mr. Wheeler or what?!?! Gosh, I don't even know, I didn't write that far yet!!! I have to tell you guys, I'm sorry about not warning you about the rape. But that was it. I swear, this is NOT yaoi, and it won't get into anything else. This is the last of the rape. Next chapter, we'll meet Yugi and his gang when Joey and Kea decide to make an escape back to Domino City! 


	3. Yugi

Uh-oh, y'all, I got offered airplane peanuts if I update! So here's an update. Man, this is good motivation. And I got my gumball. ^_^ *chews happily on the purple gumball* Yes, and people don't seem to like the cliffhangers, either. *evil smile ... I mean ... angelic halo shines above head to show innocence ... heh heh heh ...* Yes, so here's the next chapter of: MY HERO, THE GIRL. I promise, no cliffie.  
  
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Disclaimer: Did I do one of these last time? *thinks* Whatever. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. But nobody's gonna look at this because they want to see if Kea kills Mr. Wheeler or not. Dun dun duuuuuuuun!!  
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I got closer and closer to Mr. Wheeler until finally—  
  
My conscience got the best of me and I swerved the car to the other side of the street just before it hit Joey's dad. The shock from how close the minivan had come to him knocked him over, and I couldn't help but wonder if I at least grazed him a bit.  
  
"Kea, Kea, where's my dad?" I heard Joey ask me, shakily.  
  
"He's back there," I said softly, beginning to stroke his hair again. "Don't worry about him, Joey."  
  
Joey nodded weakly. I could feel that his body was still shaking, and it was obvious that his legs were still as weak as they were when I had pulled him out of the house. I closed my eyes for a second to keep the tears from falling anymore. It didn't work, and I whipped my free hand along my face.  
  
So many thoughts were running through my mind at that point, I wasn't even aware that I had turned into the highway already. I glanced around at where I was, then saw that I was heading south.  
  
*South,* I thought. *Where can I go that's south from here?* Then it hit me. Domino City was south of here. It was a couple hours away, but that didn't matter. The only problem was that Domino City would be the first place that Mr. Wheeler would look for Joey. But then again ... Mr. Wheeler was so drunk that he probably wouldn't even remember what happened.  
  
It was settled. After a debate in my head, I decided that I was going to take Joey back to Domino City. Hopefully, he would have some friends who could help us.  
  
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Joey had fallen asleep during the ride back to Domino. I was grateful for that. His trembling had made me more and more nervous as time passed, and when he finally fell asleep, I relaxed. The only problem now was where to go.  
  
Motel? No, I didn't have any money. Joey's house? No, he didn't have his key with him, so we couldn't get in. Friend's house? Hmmm.  
  
It's true, I didn't know where any of Joey's friends lived, but Joey had told me one time that he had a friend named Yugi who lived in a place on top of his grandfather's game shop. So I figured that all I had to do was drive around the city until I found the Turtle Game Shop. Domino wasn't all that big.  
  
It took longer than I expected. It wasn't until midnight that I found the Turtle Game Shop in the small city. On any other occasion, I wouldn't have gone knocking on someone's door at midnight, ESPECIALLY if I didn't know them, but this was for Joey, so it was worth it.  
  
After parking my mom's minivan outside of the game shop, I pulled the keys out of the ignition and hopped out. I locked all the doors and left Joey in there while I went to knock on the door.  
  
I knocked three hard times, expecting nothing. When I got nothing, I knocked again, harder. It was a couple minutes before I saw someone making their way to the door.  
  
The boy who opened the door was short. His hair was three different colors and his eyes were big and purple. I had never seen anything like it. It looked like his eyes would usually be big and happy, but now they were droopy and tired. It was obvious that he was just woken up.  
  
Before the boy got to say anything, I started. "Are you Yugi?" I asked him.  
  
"Yeah," the boy said, letting out a small yawn. I suppressed a giggle at how cute he was. I switched my mind back to the reason why I was there.  
  
"Listen, you're Joey's friend, right?"  
  
The boy immediately perked up and his eyes widened. "Yes, Joey Wheeler, is he okay? What happened? Are you Kea?"  
  
I nodded, assuming that Joey had told his friends about me. "Yeah, I'm Kea," I said. "But Joey isn't okay. Something ... happened, at his summer house a few hours ago and I figured I'd bring him here. Y'know, you're one of his best friends and everything."  
  
"Where is he?" Yugi asked. "Bring him in here!"  
  
"Hai," I said, turning and unlocking the door to the van with the keychain in my hand. I went around to the passenger side, where Yugi couldn't see me, and helped Joey out. He was still asleep when I closed and locked the door.  
  
I dragged Joey around the minivan, where I saw Yugi's hide widen in horror. He quickly rushed over to me and helped me take Joey inside, where he led me to his livingroom. We put Joey down on the couch and Yugi ran to get Joey a hot rag to put on his forehead. When he got back, I was sitting on the floor looking at Joey, pushing his hair away from his eyes. Yugi handed me the washcloth and sat down next to me.  
  
"What happened?" Yugi asked.  
  
I sighed heavily and began my story. "Okay, so Joey was at my house ..."  
  
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I decided not to leave you guys with a cliffhanger for once. The only thing I'm worried about is if people will remember to come back and read what happens next if I don't have a cliffhanger. Okay, people, I'm requesting 5 reviews for this chapter before I update again. Arigatou! 


	4. Reviewer Shoutout!

You don't have to look at this 'chapter' if you don't want to, but I just want to take the time to shout out to some of my reviewers (look for your name!). I'm not gonna post the next chapter until I get three move reviews—tell people to review! I lost some of my reviewers! Tell your friends! Please! *begging* Aaaaaaanyway, back to my reviewers.  
  
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Koriku: You were my first reviewer for this story and you even offer me food to update!! ^_^ *still chewing on the purple gumball* I'm saving my airline peanuts for when I get the next chapter up. And you threw rotten spinach at Joey's dad so I gotta give you props.  
  
Aithril the Elf Maiden: You offered me a chocolate bunny for Easter if I updated, but I forgot to mention that in chapter 3. I sowwie! But I updated! And I'm updating again soon! Can I have my chocolate bunny? *pout*  
  
YAMIGIRL: ^_^ I love the review you gave me! I get real hype when people like my stories and you seem to like it! THANK YOU!  
  
Shaltara: Wow. You had a dream about my story. That's really cool, you have no idea how flattered I was when I read that. You may think I sound stupid, but I don't care. LoL. I usually only write stories for myself, and now that I'm posting them somewhere and they're actually good enough (or bad enough ...) to get stuck in someone's mind and dream about it? I would give you something for making me feel so happy, but ... well ... I don't have anything. Thanks a lot!!!!!  
  
Firebird9900: Yeah, I thought about killing Joey's dad, but then I figured it wouldn't be too smart, just like you said. It really would make it more complicated (just like you said ... yeah). I'm glad you're hooked on the story ... this story's addictive, man, it's like crack. No, I'm kidding. Please don't tell anybody I do crack. I'm clean. ^_^  
  
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Well, I got everybody but 3 ppl (sorry!). Please read Chapter 3, and if I get three more reviews, I promise I'll upload Chapter 4. I have it typed and saved already, so as soon as I reach 5 reviews, I'll update. Arigatou! 


	5. What are we gonna do?

Okay people. I didn't get 5 reviews! I only got 2 for Chapter 3, and 1 for my reviewer shoutout. That's only 3. But whatever. I'm gonna update anyway.  
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This chapter is mostly Yugi. We talk to Joey a bit (I said 'we', because the character Kea is supposed to be me), but it's a lot about Yugi. And by the way, I got my airplane peanuts that Koriku gave me for updating. *eating peanuts while typing the next chapter* I'm expecting potatoes and applesauce if I update again ... I like potatoes and applesauce. Koriku has yet to give me something I don't like. ^_^ Oh, and my friend Trinity gave me Sweet Tarts!!! ^_^ Y'all giving me so much food makes me want to update even more.  
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Disclaimer: I STILL DON'T OWN YU-GI-OH! NO MATTER HOW MUCH I CRY!  
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It didn't take long for me to explain what happened to Yugi. When I finally finished, his jaw hung at the floor and his eyes were filled with disbelief.  
  
"That's ... that's horrible," Yugi said.  
  
"I know," I said, wiping my eyes of the tears that came from the story. Yugi quickly changed the subject, and we talked for another twenty minutes or so, yawning occasionally. It was, after all, after midnight. Eventually, Joey woke up.  
  
"Uhhhhg," Joey groaned, rolling over towards us. He opened his eyes and looked at me, then blinked a couple times and looked at Yugi.  
  
"Don't bother asking questions, Joey," I said, placing a finger softly on his lips. "I took you here from your place to keep your safe from your dad."  
  
When I mentioned his father, Joey's eyes began to water again and I instantly regretted saying anything. "He never did that before," Joey said. "He hit me, but he never ..."  
  
"Calm down, Joey, it's okay," Yugi said, patting his friend's hand comfortingly. It seemed to help, and Joey relaxed a bit.  
  
"What are we gonna do?" Joey whispered.  
  
I looked around for a second, thinking, then said, "Well, I have to call my mom. She probably went to bed, but if she doesn't see me in the morning, she might go to your place to see if I'm there."  
  
"I'll get the phone for you," Yugi offered, standing up and beginning to leave the room.  
  
I waited until Yugi was out of sight before moving to sit closer to Joey. I glanced around the room to make sure no one else was around, then asked, "You okay?"  
  
Joey shook his head weakly. He sighed, then said, "Sorry."  
  
I cocked an eyebrow. Did he just apologize? Was I hearing right? I shook my head, then asked, "Joey, what are you sorry about?"  
  
Joey closed his eyes. "I didn't want you to be around when he hit me," he said. "When he was ..." He took a second to open his eyes and wipe his tear-stained cheeks before continuing, "I never wanted you to ... I didn't think you'd ... I'm sorry."  
  
I smiled a little and ran my fingers lightly along Joey's cheek. "You've got nothing to apologize for, hun," I told him.  
  
Yugi came back with the phone a second later. It was then when I realized exactly what he was wearing. He was still in his pajamas; long black flannel pants with little purple Dark Magicians all over them. They were obviously too long for him. I resisted laughing at how he walked on the back of them, taking extra high steps to avoid tripping. The black t-shirt he had on matched the pants exactly. I couldn't help but wonder if this kid was really 16 like Joey had told me.  
  
"Thanks," I said when Yugi handed me the phone. I called my mother, and after apologizing for waking her up, I explained everything to her and let her know that I'd be staying with Joey in Domino for a while. Of course, she understood and told me to stay as long as I needed to.  
  
"Joey," Yugi said after I had hung up the phone. "We have to call the police and tell them what happened."  
  
"No! No, I don't want anybody else to know! Please!" Joey said immediately.  
  
"We have to," I said. "That way they can arrest your dad, or at least sober him up or something."  
  
"You don't understand," Joey began, trying his hardest to sit up. When he winced in pain, Yugi and quickly went to help him. When he was in a comfortable position, he said, "If you tell the cops on my dad, they'll arrest him and I'll have to go to some orphanage somewhere or whatever. They'll move me out of Domino and I'll never see any of my friends again."  
  
I thought about it. Yugi did, too. Joey was right. But we couldn't just get Mr. Wheeler go free after what he did to Joey. We had to tell someone. Then I got an idea.  
  
"I might be able to find somebody to help us," I said. "Like a private detective or something like that. I can have my mom find someone. That way we'll be able to do something without letting a lot of people know."  
  
"Yeah, and if anything happens, you can always stay with me," Yugi said, smiling warmly. "You won't have to leave Domino at all. It'll be just like ... a permanent sleepover."  
  
Joey pondered the idea, then said, "Fine."  
  
"Good," I smiled. "I'll call my mom in the morning and have her look for somebody. You go to sleep now, Joey, okay?"  
  
I got a yawn as my response. I laughed and said goodnight to Joey before asking Yugi for a glass of water. He led me into the kitchen, where we sat down and began to talk.  
  
"It's never been this bad before," I said. "I mean ... Joey said his dad never did that before. That's one of the first things he said to me when I was getting him out of the house."  
  
Yugi shrugged. "I guess it'll get better after this," he said. "I mean, after we talk to a detective."  
  
"I still think we should go to the cops," I said, exhaling slowly. "But whatever Joey wants, y'know? I just ... I wish there was something I could do." I slammed my cup down on the table and angrily said, "I should've killed him what I had the chance."  
  
Yugi was ready to respond when the lights in the kitchen flickered off, then back on again. I heard Yugi mumble something about a power problem, then get up and open a box in the corner of a kitchen and begin fooling with some wires. Before he got to finish, the lights went out completely. Then I heard a voice. It sounded very old and half asleep.  
  
"Who's down there!"  
  
I could barely see Yugi in the dark, but I heard him tell me to stay in the kitchen. Then I vaguely saw him leave the room. I tempo debated on whether I should stay like I was told, or whether I should be like those stupid girls in the movies who never did what the guy asked them to and ended up getting killed.  
  
Getting killed? I'd rather not, thanks. I stayed put.  
  
I twiddled my thumbs at the kitchen while Yugi took care of whatever problem there was. I got nervous, though, when I heard a crash. I sat up straight and attemtped to squint through the darkness. I saw nothing, and had to rely on my hearing to let me know what was going on.  
  
"I said 'who's there?'!"  
  
"It's just me."  
  
"Me?! Me who?! I'm armed!"  
  
"No! No! Don't, Grandp—OWWWWW!"  
  
I heard a loud whack, like something had gotten hit with a baseball bat. I jumped in my seat and thought better than to stay seated. I jumped up and began fooling with the wires and switches in the box Yugi had been messing with earlier. It was similar to the one in my house, and I got the lights back on in only a couple seconds.  
  
I pressed myself against the kitchen wall, afraid of what was in the livingroom that had just gotten Yugi screaming. He was now wailing and groaning in pain. Slowly, I turned my head around the corner of the kitchen wall and my eyes dilated.  
  
"Yugi, holy crap!"  
  
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Hmmm, I know I promise not to have a cliffhanger in the last chapter, but not this one! ^_^ You guys can probably figure out what happened, anyway. It's pretty obvious. Thanks anyway, and please review! Okay, this time I'm only gonna request 3 reviews, becuase I seem to be losing reviewers for this story. *pout* 


	6. The detective

HAAAA!!!! I got tons of food from people in return for my updating! I got a mocha frappucino from nazgurl—mocha is the only type of frappucino I drink!! YES!!! And I got another gumball from LoLa (WOOHO!!!), and I got potaotes and applesauce from Koriku!!!!!!! YEAH BABAY!! Oh, and guess what! I got a nice big dinner from YAMIGIRL. Haaaa, I'ma be eating good tonight, baby!!!! You reviewers kick butt!!!!!  
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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, but I own a couple of gumballs, some sweet tarts, a mocha frappucino, some potatoes, some applesauce, a big dinner ...  
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Yugi was laying on the floor, rolling around and whining. He was holding his hand, which was throbbing and turning black and blue. Standing over him was a short old man with spiky hair holding a baseball bat.  
  
"What da heck happened!" asked Joey, who had been awakened by the commotion.  
  
"Yugi! Yugi, I'm so sorry!" the old man said, ignoring Joey's question and bending over to Yugi. He put the bat down on the floor and tried to look at Yugi's hand. The old man's eyes were big and purple like Yugi's, and his hair was sort of similar. Were they related or something?  
  
"Granpdaaaaa!" Yugi whined, kicking the floor. "I told you it was me!"  
  
"How am I supposed to know who 'me' is!" the old man exclaimed.  
  
I chuckled a bit at the old man's response. He still looked like he was half asleep, and I guess I could understand how he didn't recognize Yugi's voice. Heck, he was old, for crying out loud.  
  
Yugi groaned and managed to get out, "Kea, get me a bag of ice!"  
  
"Um ... right," I said, turning around and going back into the kitchen. I took out an ice tray and found a box of sandwich bags laying around that I could put the ice in. I ran it out to Yugi, who was by now sitting on the couch.  
  
We all sat around for a while—me, Yugi, Joey, and the old man who told me to call him 'Grandpa'. We were silent for a bit until Grandpa finally asked who the heck I was and what the heck Joey was doing there at one o'clock in the morning.  
  
Yugi took Grandpa into the kitchen so he could tell him what happened without Joey hearing and crying again. He had calmed down and we wanted it to stay that way.  
  
"Hey Kea?" Joey said once Yugi had left the room.  
  
"Yeah?" I said, turning to face him. I was sitting on the floor in front of him again. "What's up?"  
  
Joey sighed. "I dunno," he said. "I was just thinkin' ... y'know ... thanks."  
  
I laughed a bit. "Ya don't gotta thank me, Joey," I said. "I know you would've done the same thing for me."  
  
Joey shrugged and said, "I guess you're right. But I woulda stayed and killed the guy first."  
  
"I know you would've," I said, smiling. I was still a bit shaken up about this, but I'm glad Joey was coping the way he was. "Hey, look," I said, repositioning myself so that I was sitting on my knees facing him, "I just want you to know that whatever happens, I'll always be here for ya. Okay? Me and Yugi."  
  
"Ah, Yugi's always been there," Joey said, shrugging a bit. He reached his hand out and ran it softly over my cheek, then down my neck. "Just promise me that ya won't let them take me from Domino."  
  
I smiled and touched Joey's hand as he continued to caress my face. "I promise," I said softly.  
  
Joey lifted my chin lightly with his hand, and I felt his fingers lightly brush over my lips, parting them slightly. I kept my eyes locked with his as my breath quickened. He then brought my face closer to his and leaned forward, softly pushing his lips against mine, kissing me so gently that it made me want to melt underneath him. I brought my hand up behind his neck as he deepened the kiss. I had never kissed Joey like this before, and it was amazing.  
  
After a moment, I pulled back slowly and looked Joey in the eye, breathing deeply. He touched my face softly again and smiled. I smiled back and bit my bottom lip.  
  
Yugi walked in the room that moment. He saw how close I was with Joey and stopped short. "Oh, I um ... if you guys, um ... see, I ... erm ..."  
  
"It's okay, Yugi," I said, turning back around and leaning against the couch.  
  
Yugi was blushing bright red. I wanted to laugh, but I controlled myself and simply smiled. Changing the subject so that Yugi felt more comfortable, I asked, "You said I can stay here tonight, right? Do you have an extra room or bed or something for me?"  
  
"Oh, right, sure," Yugi said. "It's upstairs, follow me."  
  
"Thanks," I said, standing up and following Yugi across the room and up the steps. "Goodnight, Joey!" I called.  
  
------------------------------THE NEXT MORNING------------------------------  
  
I talked to my mother, who called a detective as soon as I asked her to, and called back an hour later, telling me about a private eye who was willing to take our case. Her name was Detective Deborah Putro. She lived between Domino and where my house was, so she could easily get to either town. Mom was going to meet her at her office, then the two of them were going to come down to Domino and talk to me and Joey about what happened.  
  
When Mom walked through the door of the game shop at eleven in the morning with the detective behind her, Grandpa went crazy. Detective Putro was tall, blonde, and skinny, and she sent the old man's hormones for a spin. Yugi and I just sat back rolling our eyes as Grandpa made a fool of himself.  
  
"Um, Detective, why don't we all come into the back so you can meet Joey?" I suggested when Grandpa's flirting because too much for me.  
  
"That sounds fine," Detective Putro said.  
  
Yugi lead us all back into the livingroom, where Joey was laying on the couch. He was stillin a lot of pain and couldn't sit up yet. Yugi had given him some pain killers earlier this morning, but I guess they hadn't kicked in yet.  
  
"Detective Putro," I began, motioning to Joey, "this is Joey Wheeler. Joey, this is Detective Purto."  
  
And that's where it all stared. From that point on, I talked with Joey, my mom, and trhe detective abuot waht to do with Joey's situation. She took statement from both of us, separately, then took statements from Yugi and Grandpa, as well. After confirming that they all matched and we seemed legit, she promised to begin the case immediately. We were grateful.  
  
Detective Purto was going to begin by checking Joey's summer house for alcohol. If he had alcohol in an open place where Joey could get to it, he could get arrested for that, giving her more time to investigate the rape case. She wasn't going to walk up to his house and announce her occupation, however. She was giong to go disguised. She just wasn't sure how yet.  
  
"I wanna come!" I said excitedly. "I can go disguised, too!"  
  
"Oh Kea," my mom said in that motherly tone she has. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Detective Putro looked interested, though.  
  
"Come on, Mom!" I pleaded when I saw Detective Putro's interest. "I know the house well, I can help! I know where Mr. Wheeler kept the alcohol last years and it's probably in the same place now! Come on, I could really help."  
  
Detective Putro nodded. "You know, that is a thought," she mused. "If we can disguise you well enough, Mr. Wheeler won't recognize you, and you can be a help since you know the area so well."  
  
"No, no, there's no way," Joey said quickly. "After what happened, there's no way I'm letting Kiki go back there, even if he is sober."  
  
"Joey, I'll be fine," I said, touching Joey's hand lightly.  
  
"No!" Joey protested, taking my hand in his own. "I don't trust him, he might hurt you."  
  
"It'll be fine," I whispered, caressing Joey's cheek.  
  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mom smiling madly at me and Joey .Even Detective Putro was smirking a bit. I'm sure Yugi and his grandfather would have said something if they were in the room. I decided to shrug off their smiles for now and turned back to Detective Putro.  
  
"I'll do it if you let me," I said.  
  
"Then take Yugi with you," Joey said.  
  
"What! No!"  
  
"Then take Tristan!"  
  
"What! Who the heck is Tristan!"  
  
Joey smacked his forehead with his free hand. "Tristan is my best friend," he explained. "If you're gonna go undercover or whatever the heck those cop-people call it, I'm not gonna let you go with only a detective. No offense, Detective."  
  
"None taken," Detective Putro shrugged. "I can understand how you worry about your girlfriend."  
  
Joey and I looked at each other and blushed slightly. My mom saw it, and I just had this feeling that she was going to tease me about this later.  
  
Detective Putro continued talking. "Well Joey, if you don't want Kea to do this alone, you better call your friend and his permission from his parents so we can get working on this."  
  
"Okay," Joey said, squeezing my hand lightly.  
  
I kissed Joey softly on the cheek and said, "I'll get the phone."  
  
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Wow, you guys, the 'romance' part of the story actually started. So, I guess you'll have to come back next chapter to see who helps how they disguise themselves. THAT'S where it gets fun! Next chapter, we meet Tristan, Bakura, and maybe Tea ... I haven't decided on her yet. Poll!! Do you guys want Tea in it? Don't worry about Serenity, I have plans for her. *evil smile* Well, thanks for reading. Please review, I love to get reviews and I need to know if I should put Tea in this or not! Thank ya! (By the way, I'm requesting 5 reviews again!) 


	7. I'm sorry!

I'm so sorry! Someone reported me for another story of mine, saying that the content of the story was higher than the rating. Why? Probably because of the lemon. But I didn't even post the lemon! I made a note in a chapter that I wasn't going to post the lemon because it was against FanFiction.net rules! ACK! I guess the person who reported me didn't look at the chapters. But in other news, today is the first day that I can upload chapters! YAY! ^__^  
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You guys are gonna be so mad at me ... I don't have a chapter update. *ducks and covers from reviewers throwing rotten fruit* I've been sick for the last couple weeks, plus it's baseball season. I practically live at my little brother's baseball field during baseball season. I work there, I volunteer there, blah blah blah. So ... yeah. I'll try to write more, I promise I will! But now I'll take the time to tell you what's coming up next and shout out to my lovely reviewers. Please read this so you know what's coming up in later chapters! It'll keep you coming back!  
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Last time, we got to the fluff stuff with Kea and Joey. (fluff stuff ... heh ... I love that) Then they decided that Kea would go undercover with the detective to Mr. Wheeler's place with Yugi and some of Joey's other friends. What's coming up next? This!  
  
Kea's gotta go undercover, but wait until you find out what as! Boy is Joey gonna be pissed off when he sees what Kea's dressed up as! Better yet, wait until you see what Bakura wears! And will Tristan screw something up in the investigation by opening his big mouth? Hmmm.  
  
And here's a twist—anybody wondering where Serenity is? Dun dun duuuuuuun! We'll find out where she is and why she hasn't showed up yet either in the next chapter or some chapter in the near future!  
  
Here's something to think about: Can you imagine the reactions of everybody once they find out what happened to Joey? Can you imagine how SETO KAIBA would react when he hears what happened to the 'puppy dog'? This is gonna get messy!!  
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And now, lemme respond to so of my reviewers, starting from Chapter 5 ...  
  
FireBird9900: Yeah, I kinda think Joey would be in denial, too, but I had to get the detective work action in the story started soon. Let's just pretend like it took him a long time ... lol yeah ... I promise I'll get the whole gang in the story. Oooooh I can't wait to get everybody's reactions in there. And sorry, but Mai won't be in this story. At least not a lot ... I don't like her that much ...  
  
YAMIGIRL: *gasp!* You would have killed Joey's dad? Wow that would have caused some problems! lol. I tried to make this story what I would actually do if I was in this situation. Plus, the story wouldn't be the same if I killed Mr. Wheeler. Although ... it could get interesting ... *lightbulb* You may have given me an idea for a new story ...  
  
Nazgurl: *sipping one of the many mocha frappuchinos* I'm sorry, I'll update soon!! *crying in a corner*  
  
Koriku: The romance took a little while to get into, I know. But you got a little bit in the first chapter. That was my way to keep people coming back. *evil grin* Yes, but anyway. *sucks helium out of the pink and blue balloon* *really squeaky voice* I'll update soon so you can give me my bananas. ^_^  
  
LoLa: *chewing* faangs heer daah marffmewwow fwuff. *swallows* I mean ... thanks for the marshmellow fluff. ^_^ I shall update soon.  
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Yes, that's all for now, but please come back, I promise to update soon! Maybe even tomorrow ... 


	8. Disguises, disguises

*looks around nervously* Yeah, it definitely took me about ten years to update this story, didn't it? *sweatdrop* Sowwie! I been sick and busy and lazy and my Internet isn't working and I have to use my brother's computer and we're getting rid of AOL and I'm lazy and I'm busy and I'm lazy and I'M SORRY! *begs for forgiveness* I've had this chapter half-done for a while, but I just finished it on May 25th at 1:26 in the morning. I dunno when it's gonna get posted, but that's when it was done. I'm so sorry!!  
  
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By the way, I put Tea in this chapter. I don't like her too much so she's gonna sound really dumb and really preppy and I'll probably make fun of her a little bit. There's not TOO much bashing. *innocent smile*  
  
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Disclaimer: Eh, I don't Yu-Gi-Oh!. It'd be nice if I did, but I don't. *shrugs*  
  
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Tristan, Tea, and Bakura were sitting on chairs in Yugi's small living room while Joey lay on the couch. Me and Yugi had taken them into the kitchen earlier and explained what happened. So now, all of us were in the living room with my mom and the detective, talking about how we were going to nail Mr. Wheeler.  
  
"I wanna go undercover," I said, nodding vigorously. "Yeah, I wanna be so disguised that Mr. Wheeler wouldn't recognize me if I told him my name."  
  
My mom rolled her eyes. "Kea, this is serious."  
  
"Yeah-yeah, I know it is, but that'd be a real good disguise."  
  
Tea sat back in her chair and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. She looked back up at us and said, "I think this is all just really really really complicated and none of us should bother the detective. I mean, the important thing is how Joey feels about all this. I don't want Joey to get hurt by anything."  
  
At first, I took that comment as a statement of care for her friends because I remembered how Joey warned me that Tea rambles on and on about friendship. But then when I saw the way her eyes glassed over when she looked at Joey, I decided to keep watch on her a little bit and make sure she wasn't trying to move in on him.  
  
Tristan slammed a fist into his palm. "I think we should just go in there and pound him!" he said. "That'll get his attention for sure!"  
  
"Let's stick to what could work," Detective Putro said. "We're going to go to the house. Kea has to be able to get in and show me where the alcohol is, meaning I'll have to get in, too. How can we do that?"  
  
"Well, maybe if Mr. Wheeler is distracted," Bakura said thoughtfully. It wasn't until then that his British accent struck me. I studied him for a moment. He was like a really big teddy bear. He was just one of those guys you'd want to cuddle with.  
  
... On second thought, I think I wanna cuddle with Joey.  
  
Anyway, I shook the thoughts about Bakura out of my head and listened to the conversation. I had missed a bit, and they were already talking about having Tristan dress up as someone from the IRS or some government organization.  
  
"That'll never work," I said. "They don't come to a summer house. They'd come to the house in Domino."  
  
"Hmm, good point," Detective Putro said. She thought for a moment, then slowly said, "We need to think of someone who Mr. Wheeler would let into his house without any suspicion, and Kea has to be able to disguise herself as it ... does anyone have any ideas?"  
  
I sat quietly for a moment, all of us thinking. Then it hit me. I sat up straight and said, "I can dress up like a prostitute."  
  
Joey's eyes widened and he stared at me with a look of disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me," he said plainly. I looked at him and shook my head, ready to tell him how good of an idea it was, but he cut me off too quick. "No. No, that's it, that's final. You're not going to my drunken father dressed like a two dollar slut after what he did."  
  
I blinked, taking in Joey's words. Then I realized what he had said and quickly questioned, "Two dollars, Joey, is that all you think I'm worth?"  
  
Rolling his eyes, Joey sighed. "That's not what I meant," he said. "I'm not letting you dress up as some prostitute."  
  
"Why the heck not!" I demanded. "It's a good idea! Somebody like your dad would definitely let me in the house, then I could get into the kitchen and show Detective Putro where the alcohol is. She could make an arrest like that!" I snapped my fingers to prove my point.  
  
"No, no, hell no," Joey said, shaking his head. "That's final."  
  
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms across my stomach. I looked over at my mom, who seemed to be in thought.  
  
"As long as that slimeball doesn't put his hands on you, it seems like a good idea," Mom said.  
  
"Yeah, and if Mr. Wheeler doesn't let you in," Tristan began with a sly grin on his face, "you could come to my house and I'll accept your services."  
  
Joey would have beat the snot out of Tristan if he wasn't stuck on the couch at the moment. Yugi, however, did have to hold Joey back from jumping off the couch and hobbling over to Tristan to make an attempt at knocking the stuffing out of him.  
  
"Detective Putro," my mom said, ignoring Joey's death glares to the tall, skinny brunette across from him, "can you promise me that Kea won't be touched if she goes dressed as a prostitute?"  
  
Detective Putro sighed. "I can't promise anything, I'm sorry. It would require at least a miniscule amount of touching for it to be believable to Mr. Wheeler, but nothing sexual would go on, I can promise that much. I would be with her whenever she would be around Mr. Wheeler, and I'd be armed as well."  
  
"Armed?" Tea asked, almost in a whisper. "Like ... guns? Omigod."  
  
I rolled my eyes and decided to keep my comments about Tea to myself. "So are we doing this or are we not doing this?" I asked. "We've already established that it can work, and my mom's cool with it. Can we do it?"  
  
Detective Putro looked down at all the notes she took and said, "I can have people here today to help us and we can do this by tonight. The only thing is that we're gonna need a way for him to find us. Plus someone to drive us there and be able to contact us through ear pieces while we're in the house."  
  
"We can figure out how to get to him later," I said, waving that off. "That'll be easy, Mr. Wheeler's horny as all anything, we can figure that out."  
  
Detective Putro nodded. "Good. Now about our driver. Tea? Can you drive?"  
  
Tea sat up straight and shook her head. "No. Yes. I mean, I can drive, but I won't do it. This is too scary."  
  
We all fell silent and thought of someone else that could drive me and the detective there. After a second, Joey asked, "Hey Bakura, didn't you just get your license?"  
  
"Yes," Bakura replied. "I guess I would be able to drive you two out there if that's what you want me to do."  
  
"Could ya?" I asked kindly, clasping my hands together for effect.  
  
Bakura shrugged and smiled warmly. "Of course," he said.  
  
"Yes!" I said, punching the air. "We got a driver!"  
  
"Wait just a second now," Detective Putro said. "Unless Mr. Wheeler finds us on the corner, he'll never believe a guy driving two prostitutes to someone's house. It has to be a girl in the front seat."  
  
Again, the room fell silent. We all looked around, all of our minds blank. Finally, I sighed and slowly asked, "Bakura ... can you do me a really big favor ..."  
  
Bakura looked at me wearily, knowing what I was about to ask. "Um ... I suppose ... I could ..." he said wearily.  
  
I bit my bottom lip, feeling like an idiot for even thinking something like this. I closed my eyes and slowly asked, "Could you dress up like a girl please ...?"  
  
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Awwwwwwwwwww why'd I do dat! *pout* No, this is not gonna get freaky, and Bakura is NOT gay. I told you once, I'm telling you again, this story will NOT get yaoi. For all you people who think this is gonna get weird, I just threw it in there for a little comedy in upcoming chapters. It won't get too weird, I promise. 


	9. Sorry!

PEOPLE! I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while. It was baseball season and I don't get much done during baseball season. Then my computer went dead. But fortunately for you guys, I just got a new computer and the last day of baseball season was today. For my little brother's season, at least. Anyway, so now that I have this new computer, I'm gonna be typing a lot, and I'm pretty sure I'll update this story, okay? Again, I'M SO SORRY!!! Look for updates soon! 


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